United Kingdom-Bristol: Tree seed purchases

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: (2022/S 000-001109/EN)
Nature of contract: Supply contract
Procedure: Negotiated without a call for competition
Type of bid required: Not applicable

Voluntary ex ante transparency notice
Supplies

Section I: Contracting authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Official name: National Highways
Postal address: Lateral, City Square
Town: Bristol
Postal code: BS32 4SR
Country: United Kingdom
Contact Person: Wayne Bond
Telephone: +44 7729105540
Email: Wayne.Bond@highwaysengland.co.uk
Internet address(es):
Main address:

I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Other activity: Development, operation and maintenance of the Strategic Road Network

Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title: Tree seed purchases
II.1.2) Main CPV code: 03450000
II.1.3) Type of contract Supplies
II.1.4) Short Description:
This is a Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency (VEAT) notice informing the market that National Highways Limited (NHL) intend to award a contract without prior publication of a call for competition. NHL is entering into a contract with Forestart Limited for provision of seeds over five years.
II.1.6) Information about lots
The contract is divided into lots: no
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement(excluding VAT)
Value:250000.00
Currency:GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
Nuts code: Main site or place of performance:England

II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Tree seeds to the value of £50,000 a year for five years.

II.2.5) Award criteria
II.2.11) Information about options
Options: no
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated procedure without prior publication(in accordance with Article 32 of Directive 2014/24/EU)
IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement(GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes
IV.2) Administrative information

Section V: Award of contract/concession
V.2) Award of contract/concession
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract/concession award decision:2022-01-05
V.2.2) Information about tenders
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Official name: Forestart Limited
National registration number: 3614573
Postal address: The Seed Unit. Ladymas Lane, Hadnall
Town: Shrewsbury
Postal code: SY4 4AL
Country: United Kingdom
Nuts code:
The contractor is an SME: yes

V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot/concession(excluding VAT)
for framework agreements – total maximum value for this lot
for contracts based on framework agreements, if required – value of contract(s) for this lot not included in
previous contract award notices
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
The contract/lot/concession is likely to be subcontracted
Value or proportion likely to be subcontracted to third parties

Section VI: Complementary informationVI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Official name: National Highways Limited
Town: Bristol
Postal code: BS32 4SR
Country: United Kingdom

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice:
2022-01-13

Justification for the award of the contract without prior publication of a call for
competition in the Official Journal of the European Union
1.Justification for the choice of the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a call for competition in accordance with Article
32 of Directive 2014/24/EU
The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research , experiment, study or development under the conditions stated
in the directive(for supplies only)
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
absence of competition for technical reasons

3.Explanation
Please explain in a clear and comprehensive manner why the award of the contract without prior publication in the Official Journal of the European Union
is lawful, by stating the relevant facts and, as appropriate, the conclusions of law in accordance with the directive:
The UK has a limited market for seed supply with only one major seed supplier – Forestart – with the capacity to secure our volumes, given our requirements over quantity, quality and variety. The need to source healthy plant and tree stocks means importing seeds and trees is not considered an option as this threatens bio-security, increases cost e.g. through import fees, delays timescales and raises planting failure rates due to a lack of local origin.
National Highways Limited considers the award is permitted by regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.